Desiderius Erasmus was a Dutch Catholic priest, social critic, teacher, and theologian who lived during the Renaissance. He was a leading scholar of the northern Renaissance and played a prominent role in the early stages of the Protestant Reformation. As a Christian humanist, Erasmus was a proponent for reforming the Catholic Church from within. He wrote influential works that criticized the Catholic clergy and urged for more moderate views. Erasmus also established new approaches to education by emphasizing the study of classical languages and literature to cultivate well-rounded, civic-minded leaders.